


Redamancy

by kyoutaniiii



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji & Kozume Kenma Friendship, Akaashi Keiji Is So Done, Band Fic, Established Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, M/M, Minor Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Minor depictions of abuse, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:49:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28899939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyoutaniiii/pseuds/kyoutaniiii
Summary: The feeling of playing in front of a crowd of people felt almost… overwhelming to him.It was easy to just do small gigs at bars, people were too busy getting drunk to pay attention to him.But Oikawa and Akaashi loved reactions. They loved seeing the crowd enjoying their music. They savored the reactions of people, using it to fuel their next performance.Although, Kenma did come to love it. He did come to enjoy people clapping for him as he left the stage. All with the help of one person.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Kudos: 20





	1. I've Just Seen a Face

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey hey!! this fic is nearly completed, I'll update whenever I see fit. My twitter is @KY0UTANl, feel free to go there and tell me what you think.

The feeling of playing in front of a crowd of people felt almost… overwhelming to him.

It was easy to just do small gigs at bars, people were too busy getting drunk to pay attention to him.

But Oikawa and Akaashi loved reactions. They loved seeing the crowd enjoying their music. They savored the reactions of people, using it to fuel their next performance.

Although, Kenma did come to love it. He did come to enjoy people clapping for him as he left the stage. All with the help of one person.

////

Oikawa was as late as he always was, making Akaashi and Kenma increasingly more and more frustrated with him.

Once he did arrive though, he had bags in his hands from their favorite ramen place.

“I figured since I was late I might as well make it up somehow? I still had your orders from last time so this was easiest…” he smiled at them sheepishly, extending the bags towards Akaashi and Kenma. Kenma smiled back at him, grabbing the bags out of his hands and sitting down at their coffee table.

“Okay so, I got us a gig for tomorrow night. We’ll be playing right after another band, I can't remember their name though.” Akaashi was straight to the point as always, sitting down and grabbing his ramen from Kenma’s hands.

“Oh sweet, what songs are we gonna play?”

“Well, since our music is still a work in progress, I think it’s best to stick with covers for tomorrow. What songs would you like to sing, Kenma?”

“Can we do  _ Black Bird _ ? It's one of our most polished songs. We can also do  _ I’ve Just Seen a Face _ . Akaashi, you can sing  _ Take Me to Church _ if you’d like.” Oikawa nodded his head, smiling at Kenma.

“That’s cool. Do you guys wanna get to the place in time to see the other band perform?”

“Yes, I wanna know if we’re going to be embarrassing ourselves.”

“We aren’t going to embarrass ourselves, idiot,” Akaashi hit Oikawa over the head as he spoke before going back to eating.

The three fell into easy conversation, talking about their days and the upcoming gig. Oikawa ranted about his biology class (a normal thing for him to do) while Akaashi teased him for his low grade in the class.

“My grade isn’t that bad, Keiji.”

“You have a 58%, Tooru.”

“Oh well! What do you have, then?”

“94%.” Akaashi smiled at him smugly, making Oikawa glare at him.

“You know, Keiji, I hate you sometimes.”

“You know, Tooru, I was considering helping you, but now I’m not so sure.”

“NO! I’m sorry, please help me. Please.”

“On one condition.”

“I will do anything!”

“For the next month, every time you’re late to something, you have to give me or Kenma $10, do we have a deal.”

Oikawa hesitates, “Deal.”

////

The night of the gig, Oikawa insisted on making Kenma and Akaashi wear make-up with him. They obliged, knowing that if they didn’t Tooru would whine about being alone.

Tooru gave Akaashi a simple but flattering look, and gave Kenma a look that matched his outfit. All three of them were wearing toned down outfits, Akaashi with a slim black button down with black pants, Oikawa with a dark purple button down, and Kenma with a red button down.

They showed up to the bar just in time to see the other band setting up. Kenma immediately noticed the odd hairstyles of two of the guys, one having an undeniable bedhead and the other having spiky white hair with white roots. The bedhead guy met his gaze, smiling at Kenma with the prettiest smile he had ever seen. (And that was saying something since he knew Akaashi, whose smile was that of an angel.) Bedhead waved before turning back to help setting up.

“Hey, earth to Kenma. You okay?” Oikawa and Akaashi both wore looks of concern.

“Yeah, yeah I’m alright. Isn’t that Iwai-” Akaashi smacked a hand over his mouth, shaking his head slightly. Oikawa sighed, walking to a table in the corner.

“He’s still beating himself up over it, K. It’s best we don’t even acknowledge Iwaizumi today.”

“Okay…” 

The two joined Oikawa where he was sitting, Kenma almost immediately pulling out his phone. Oikawa was sitting silently, not even attempting to strike a conversation with Akaashi. Kenma opened his contact, shooting him a text rather than just speaking aloud.

>>> you okay, oikawa?

>> i’m fine.

>>> you aren’t.

>> i am.

>>> oikawa when you’re not upset you use emoticons every text.

>> …

>>> are you gonna be okay, tooru?

>> i’ll be fine.

>> thank you for caring.

>>> always, oikawa. you’re my best friend.

Kenma looked up to see Oikawa smiling slightly. Tooru met his eyes, his smile growing bigger.

“Do you two want anything to drink?” Akaashi interrupted.

“I just want coke.”

“Me too,” Oikawa stated before Akaashi left to go up to the bar. 

Kenma went back to his phone before his attention was grabbed by the bedhead guy, who was standing up on the stage.

“Hey, hey, hey everybody. We’re Chaos Simplified, we’re a cover band and we hope that we knock your socks off.”  _ Who even says things like that anymore? _

The three guys on stage begin to play one of Kenma’s personal favorite songs,  _ With A Little Help From My Friends.  _ Bedhead led the other two, singing with the white haired one. His voice was beautiful.

Akaashi came back to the table, pulling Kenma out of the trance Bedhead had put him under. Kenma had noticed the white haired guy staring at Akaashi as he gave Oikawa and Kenma their drinks.

“They’re doing The Beatles… We are so gonna embarrass ourselves…” Akaashi kicked Oikawa’s leg under the table, making him yelp. “Mean! You’re so mean, Keiji.”

“And you’re annoying. We aren’t going to embarrass ourselves.”

“They’re good, Tooru. But we’re good, too.”

“Right, right. You’re right.”

“I always am.” This time, Akaashi kicked Kenma, but he didn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Just a smile.

“Are we doing  _ Take Me To Church  _ today?”

“Up to you, Akaashi. Do you want to?”

“Kind of? But at the same time, I’m worried I might screw it up.”

“Like hell you’ll screw it up, you’re the most talented one of us three,” Kenma gave a fake offended gasp before Oikawa continued, “you’ve got this, Keiji. You always do.”

The band on the stage changed songs, but this time, instead of Bedhead singing, it was the white-haired guy. His voice was more playful, fitting for the song he was singing. It was  _ Better Than Me _ , he only recognized it because of Akaashi and Oikawa. The guy was bouncing around the stage, happiness radiating from him.

When Kenma looked over to Akaashi, he saw the boy staring up at the guy, the two of them holding eye contact. He smiled slightly, knowing Akaashi was more than likely going to brush it off like he was analyzing him. He did that often, not willing to admit that he might just be attracted to someone. God forbid Akaashi Keiji feels attraction to someone again.

Soon enough, the band finished their set. They made their way off the stage, walking over to Kenma, Akaashi, and Oikawa. The white-haired guy was still bouncing around when they approached.

“Hey!! I’m Bokuto, nice to meet you!” He extended his hand out to Akaashi, who hesitantly took it.

“Akaashi. Uh, this is Kenma and Oikawa.” Kenma noticed the blush on Akaashi’s face as Bokuto shook his hand.

“I remember Oikawa! Anyways, this is Kuroo and Iwaizumi.”

“I can introduce myself, Bo.” At the sound of Iwaizumi’s voice, Oikawa moved from his seat and walked up to the stage. Iwaizumi’s eyes followed him the whole way there. 

“Anyways, good luck on your performance, I’m expecting something mind-blowing.” Iwaizumi hit the back of Bokuto’s head, muttering something about him being rude.

“We’ll keep your table warm,” Kuroo finally spoke up, smiling at Kenma.

“Thank you, Kuro.”

“Kuroo.”

“Right, sorry.” Kenma smiled before he and Akaashi joined Oikawa at the stage.

////

Iwaizumi Hajime was a good boyfriend.

Key word: Was. He’s not exactly sure what happened, but all he knew was that Oikawa Tooru now hated him. 

When he looked up at his ex-boyfriend up on stage, the boy didn’t look back. Instead he sat behind the drum set quietly, waiting for Kenma to introduce them.

////

Kenma mentally prepared himself, breathing deeply as he grabbed his guitar from the case. He could feel that Oikawa was upset, he normally was when he ran into Iwaizumi. Kenma walked over to the drumset, looking at Oikawa expectantly.

“I’m fine, really.”

“I can feel that you’re upset.”

“I’m fine, Kenma. Let’s just play and have fun.”

“Ok,” Kenma walked up to the front of the stage, adjusting the mic to his height.

He looked over to Akaashi, who gave his confirmation to begin.

“Hey everyone, I’m Kenma and we’re Coastal Drive. We hope you enjoy.” Kenma closed his eyes, playing the beginning of  _ I’ve Just Seen a Face. _

He heard cheering from Bokuto and Kuroo as he began to sing, making him smile through the lyrics. By the end of the song, he could feel Oikawa’s mood lighten.

Akaashi moved behind him, sitting down at the piano at the edge of the stage. Soon enough, Akaashi’s voice filled the room. It was like he made the world stop with his voice. They played quietly along with Akaashi, allowing him to take the spotlight.

////

Akaashi could feel all eyes on him as he played, the feeling being a little overwhelming. He opened his eyes, immediately meeting Bokuto’s gaze. He didn’t break eye contact, instead he held it for the rest of the song. It was almost like he was entranced.

Bokuto sat smiling at him through the whole song, golden eyes glimmering in the lighting. It almost made Akaashi feel sick.

////

Later in the night, Kenma was sitting outside the bar on his phone. The bar was getting too loud for him, so he left quickly, hoping the guys wouldn’t notice his absence. Even if they did, Akaashi probably covered for him.

It was nearing midnight when Kuroo joined him outside. He sat next to him quietly, probably waiting for Kenma to start the conversation. He didn’t say anything, rather he chose to study Kuroo.

His hair was the same mess he showed up in, slightly more tousled than before. He was wearing a floral button down shirt tucked neatly into ripped black jeans. He had black Doc Martens on as well. Around his neck was a pendant in the shape of a star.

He turned to look at Kenma, smiling when he noticed Kenma was already looking.

“Hi,” His voice was quiet and sweet, different from hours earlier.

“Hi.”

“You okay? I noticed you left but I assumed you’d have come back by now.”

“I’m fine, it just gets a little overwhelming sometimes. There’s only so much I can take in a night.”

“I get it. Do you want me to take you home and tell Akaashi and Oikawa?”

“I’ll be okay, but thank you. I usually just hide outside until those two are ready to go, anyways. Don’t you want to be inside having fun?”

“I wouldn’t call it fun there. It’s awkward, if anything. I don’t know what went down between Oikawa and Iwaizumi but by how they’re acting, it seems pretty bad.” His voice was laced with worry when he was talking about the two.

“It was bad, it didn’t hit him at first. But once it did, Oikawa didn’t leave his room for a week. He’s doing better, although it’s hard for him to even be in the same room as Iwaizumi. He blames himself so much.”   
“Iwaizumi was the same way. He stayed at Bo and I’s place for like two weeks, just sulking. He hasn’t acknowledged it since.”

“It really sucks, you know? Those two are like soulmates, if they can’t fix their relationship, then what’s the point of being in love?” Kenma looked forward, leaning his head back on the wall behind him.

“I think they will. Fix it, I mean. I don’t know about Oikawa, but Iwaizumi is still in love with him.”

“Figures,” Kenma chuckles, meeting Kuroo’s gaze.

Suddenly, Oikawa and Akaashi come out of the front door.

“You ready to go, Kenma?” Akaashi asked, looking between him and Kuroo.

“Yeah, bye Kuroo.”

“Wait, can I have your number?” Kuroo was smiling at him, setting Kenma’s soul afire. He nodded, putting his hand out for his phone.

After adding his number, he, Akaashi, and Oikawa left.

////


	2. The First Thing You See

Kenma woke up to loud music coming from the kitchen. He groaned, pulling his covers over his head. It was pretty clear that he wasn’t falling back asleep though, so he moved to get out of his bed. His hair was a mess atop his head.

He opened his door, walking out to the kitchen. He was met by Akaashi, Suga, and Oikawa dancing around the kitchen.

“Suga?”

“Kenma! You’re awake!” Suga pulled him into a hug (he was the only person who could do that to Kenma with no warning).

“I am, what brings you here?”

“Well, I was waiting until you woke up to tell you all, so, last night Daichi and I got engaged.” Oikawa immediately reacted by pulling Suga into a hug, yelling congratulations.

Once Oikawa released Suga, it was Akaashi’s turn to hug him. He was talking quietly to Suga.

“How’d he propose?” Suga pulled away from his hug with Akaashi to face Kenma.

“It wasn’t anything special, honestly. I was cleaning when he did it. I looked like a crying mess afterwards. I mean, I was literally in my pajamas with tears streaming down my face.”

“That’s cute, oh my god. I’m so lonely.” Oikawa sighed, making everyone laugh.

“Don’t you worry, Tooru, everything will work out for you,” Suga said, patting Oikawa’s head.

Oikawa laid his head on Suga’s shoulder, huffing. The four of them decided to go out for breakfast, not wanting to make anything themselves. They found themselves sitting in a quiet cafe.

“Are you guys still writing music?”

“Yeah, it’s taking a lot longer than I expected, though. We have three songs written,” Akaashi said through a yawn.

“Hey, it’s progress. I gave up on writing and music about a month ago.”

“What? Why?”

“I just don’t see the point anymore, there are plenty of people who are more talented and deserving of a record deal than me…” Akaashi scowled, kicking Suga under the table, “Jesus, Keiji, What?”

“You’re incredibly talented, you’re worthy of a record deal. Don’t be stupid, Koushi.”

“It’s true, Keiji. My music isn’t half as good as yours is.”

“I’ll kick you again if you don’t shut up.”

“Whatever… Have you had any appointments recently, Keiji? Do you like your therapist?” Akaashi stiffened, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay, yeah I like him pretty well. He’s nice and helpful.”

“That’s good. How have you been doing?”

“Better… I mean, sometimes I get reminded of everything and it gets hard again, you know? It’s like he’s everywhere.”

“You know, I really hate him. I wish I could take all of it on for you.” Suga reached out to hold Akaashi’s hands, “You got this.”

“Thank you, Suga.” Akaashi reached up and rubbed his eyes, “Anyways, enough about me, do you know when your wedding with Daichi will be?”

////

The four ended up at a karaoke bar by the end of the day, Suga and Oikawa having dragged Kenma and Akaashi once they saw the sign. They were screwing around, showing up each other and everyone else.

Although the fun for Oikawa ended when he saw a familiar face outside. He was sitting on the curb, looking out on the street. Something compelled Oikawa to join him.

Hesitantly, he stepped outside, walking close to Iwaizumi. Not close enough for him to notice, but close enough to see that he was smoking.  _ Stupid, stupid Iwa-chan. _

“That’ll kill you one day.” He isn’t sure why he spoke up, he quickly regretted it.

“Oikawa? What are you doing here?”

“Celebrating Suga’s engagement, you?”

“I was gonna meet up with Kuroo and Bokuto but they haven’t shown… I miss you.”

“Don’t. Don’t do that.”

“Oikawa, I’ve apologized so many times, what else do you need?” Oikawa stayed silent, looking forward, “Look, Tooru-” Oikawa gave him a dirty look, “Oikawa… I’m sorry. I miss you so much, can we at least talk?”

“I want to but… It still hurts, Iwa. It hurts every time I think about you or what we had. I want that back but I’m just not ready.”

“Okay, that’s okay. From here on out, can we try? I want you in my life, Oikawa. These past few months have been hell without you.”

“Same… I’d like to try again.” Iwaizumi smiled at him, a smile which he returned. He felt lighter, happier.

Who knew all he needed was him.

////

Inside of the bar, Suga was making a bet with Kenma and Akaashi about who would be more anal during the wedding- him or Daichi- when Kuroo, Bokuto, Iwaizumi, and Oikawa came up to the table. Oikawa took his seat next to Kenma, while the other three guys grabbed chairs to join them.

“Hi, I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Kuroo,” He said, extending his hand to Suga.

“I’m Suga, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too. These idiots are Bokuto and Iwaizumi,” Bokuto waved excitedly from behind Kuroo, making Suga and Akaashi laugh.

“I know Iwaizumi, it’s nice to meet you, though, Bokuto.” The boy smiled at him, fake tipping his non-existent hat.

“Have any of you guys gone up there tonight?” He was talking directly to Akaashi despite the fact he was addressing the whole table.

“Yeah, a few times. What, are you planning on going up there and showing us up?”

“I don’t think anyone could ever show you up, Akashi.”

“It’s Akaashi, but I’m sure you could, Bokuto.” Akaashi smiled at him sweetly. Bokuto smiled back before pulling Kuroo and Iwaizumi up to the stage.

“What the hell was that, Keiji?” Oikawa was laughing.

“What do you mean?”

“You just flirted with him in front of all of us! You have never done something like that!” Akaashi began to blush, having a look of offense on his face.

“I did not, you guys are just weird.”

“You totally did.”

“I did not!”

“If you didn’t then why are you so defensive?” 

“Why are we focusing on me when Oikawa walked in with Iwaizumi, that's something new!”   
“We’re trying to be friends again, Keiji. We’re trying to at least be somewhat normal around each other.”

“Oh, uh, that’s good… Do you think you two will ever get back together?”

“I don’t know, I want to. It’d be nice. I just don’t know if he wants to, you know?”

“I’m sure he does, Tooru.” Kenma spoke up, grabbing Oikawa’s attention.

“Do you really think so?”

“I do.” Oikawa smiled at him.

////

Just like last time, Kenma found himself sitting outside of the bar. Kuroo joined him a lot sooner this time, although they weren’t talking. The silence was comfortable and warm despite the cold air around them. Kenma’s phone was playing soft music from his game, Kuroo humming along with it.

The scene was sweet, you could almost think they'd known each other forever with how comfortable Kenma was with Kuroo.

“Have you played this game?”

“Hm?”

“You’re humming along with the music, have you played it?”

“Nah, but Bokuto has so I’ve heard the music quite a bit.”

“Your voice is nice.”

“Thank you, so is yours,” Kuroo and Kenma shared a smile.

“It’s cold out here.”

“Would you like my jacket? Here.” He shrugs off his jacket, laying it over Kenma’s shoulders.

“Thanks, you didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.” Kuroo smiled at him, rubbing his arms.

“Hey, you’re cold, too. Take it back.” He grabbed it off his shoulders, trying to give it back.

“No, I’m okay, really.”   
“Don’t be stupid, take the jacket back.”

“No.”

“Please.” Kuroo hesitated, looking between Kenma and the jacket.

“Fine, I’ll take it back.”

“Thank you, Kuro.” Kuroo didn’t bother correcting him, laughing before he felt Kenma lean onto him. “You’re warm.”

“You’re cute…”

“Hm?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

“Okay, Kuro.”  _ So damn cute, this kid. _

////


	3. Lost Without You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being lost sucked.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi were trying. They were. But being just friends with someone you love is hard. Oikawa didn’t know how much longer he could do it.

Sure, they had grown up together as best friends, but there was no erasing their relationship, their breakup. It was the elephant in the room that nobody wanted to acknowledge.

It was hard to forgive Iwaizumi, nearly impossible after he walked away like nothing.

////

_ He didn’t remember what brought them to this topic, but he knows he didn’t expect a screaming match out of it. _

_ “Why don’t you want to go to Tokyo, Tooru? We could have better lives!” _

_ “Because Suga, Akaashi and Kenma aren’t in Tokyo, Hajime! You know they’re the only people I have left, I can’t leave them!” Iwaizumi wasn’t even  _ thinking  _ about how he felt. _

_ “Going to Tokyo won’t mean you’ll never see them again!” _

_ “It pretty much will! I’ll miss everything with them. Plus, I’d have to leave the band!” _

_ “You can start a new one!” _

_ “Are you even listening to me? I’ll be leaving everything behind! I’m not going! You have people here too! Your mom, your dad. Your colleagues, your friends. I don’t understand why you want to leave so damn bad!” _

_ “I want more, Tooru. My cousin lives up there, we could start from there.” _

_ “I don’t wanna go. You obviously don’t care about my reasoning.” _

_ “I do care!” _

_ “You do not! Just go, Hajime! If you don’t care, just go.” _

_ He’s not exactly sure what he expected. He should’ve known he’d leave, that's the kind of person he was, afterall. He doesn’t remember when he got to Suga, Akaashi, and Kenma’s apartment, until Suga was pulling him into a hug, trying to calm him down. _

////

_ Oikawa ended up passing out on Suga’s bed with Suga sitting next to him reading. He could practically feel Suga’s worry radiating off of him. He hated it, he hated knowing his friends were worried about him, just tonight he saw more emotions regarding him on Kenma’s face than before. _

_ He and Kenma weren’t nearly as close as he and Suga, having only met about a year before. But tonight he realized that Kenma loved him, and that was reassuring as ever. _

_ Oikawa woke up alone, hearing hushed voices outside. He grabbed his phone, half-hoping to see a text from Iwa. There wasn’t one, only texts from his co-workers asking him to take a shift on for them. He groaned before getting up and leaving Suga’s room. Standing in the kitchen was Daichi, one of Iwa’s former co-workers. Suga sat on the counter drinking coffee, laughing at something Daichi said. _

_ “Daichi?” _

_ “Oikawa! Hi, it’s been a while.” _

_ “It has, what brings you here?” _

_ “We’re together,” Suga said softly before hiding his face behind his mug. _

_ “Since when?” _

_ “About a week ago, now.” Daichi answered.  _ What a perfect pair, _ he thought. _

_ Oikawa smiled as Kenma entered the room. He waved at Daichi before grabbing juice from the fridge. _

_ “Oikawa, I’m going to pick up Akaashi from the hospital later today, do you wanna come?” Kenma dropped it easily.  _ Hospital, why is he at the hospital?

_ “The hospital? Why is he at the hospital?” _

_ “He and Toshiro got in a fight, it was bad this time. Like the police involved, kind of bad.” _

_ “Oh my god…” _

_ “We had to convince him to even go to the hospital, he was insisting that he was fine. He wasn’t, he has a concussion” _

_ “What happened to Toshiro?” _

_ “He’s in police custody still, they’re waiting to see if Akaashi will press charges since it’s clear this has been going on for months.” _

_ “He better, I hate Toshiro.” _

_ “We all do, anyways, let’s leave in about 30 minutes, the hospital is like 40 minutes from here.” Oikawa nodded as Kenma left the room. It was no surprise that things escalated with Akaashi and Toshiro, it was common for things to get physical between them. _

_ Although, Akaashi never fought back. He took it, no matter how bad it got, up until Suga, Kenma, and Oikawa found out. They spent months trying to convince him to leave Toshiro, but he always told them no. He didn’t know how Suga and Kenma were even able to get him to go to the hospital after the most recent fight. _

_ Once he and Kenma had made their way to the hospital, Akaashi was standing outside talking to a doctor. He and Kenma got out of the car, walking over to the other two. _

_ “If you have any headaches, you can just take some acetaminophen. Take care of yourself, Keiji.” _

_ “I will, thank you Dr. Shirabu.” The doctor nodded at him before walking back into the hospital. _

_ Akaashi turned to Oikawa, smiling at him. _

_ “Tooru? Why are you here?” _

_ “Uh, Iwa-chan and I broke up. Why are you here?” _

_ “Toshi um… knocked me into the fridge at home. Hard. I passed out for a minute or two. In that time Kenma had come home and called the police. Also, Kenma, I’ve decided to press charges against Toshi, I don’t think I can handle anymore of this.” _

_ “I’m proud of you, Akaashi.” Kenma pulled him into a hug, pressing a light kiss to his shoulder. Once they pulled away, they started to walk to the car. _

_ “Now, Tooru, tell me about you and Iwaizumi.” _

_ //// _

Oikawa was pulled out of his memories by knocking on his door. He groaned before getting up to answer it. Outside of the door stood Iwaizumi.

“Iwaizumi?”

“Hey, can I come in?”

“Of course, yeah,” Oikawa moved aside as Iwaizumi walked into the apartment. “So?”

“I’ve been thinking about the night before I went to Tokyo a lot recently. I’ve been beating myself up trying to figure out how to fix us, but I still don’t know how. I’m so sorry, Oikawa.”

“I’m sorry, too. I messed up just as badly as you did. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did, I screwed everything up.”

“No, you didn’t. We were both in the wrong that night, it wasn’t entirely your fault.”

“Wasn’t it though? If I wasn’t so stubborn about Tokyo, none of this would have happened.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Oikawa. I think we should start over, like, go on another first date. Retry.”

“I think we should too,” Oikawa felt tension release from his shoulders.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Oikawa, will you go on a date with me this Friday?”

“Of course I will.” They stood still for a moment, just looking at each other before Iwaizumi kissed him.

“I’ll see you Friday.”

////

When Kuroo first invited Kenma to spend the day with him, he didn’t actually think he was going to do it. Although, the boy surprised him by immediately agreeing to come over.

They ended up attempting to make a cake, which turned out to be a catastrophe. The kitchen was a mess, the cake got stuck to the pan, and the frosting just wouldn’t thicken. It sucked, it all sucked.

“You know, for someone who loves chemistry so much, you’d think I’d be good at baking.”

“Yeah, you would. How did we even screw up this bad?”

“Talent.” Kenma’s laugh was the cutest thing he had ever heard.

“You’re a multi-talented idiot, then.”

“Hey, I’m not an idiot!”

“Yes, you are.”

“You’re so mean, Kenma.”

“Only to you, Kuroo.”

They laughed as they measured out the ingredients for their second attempt, hoping this time it wouldn’t turn out terribly. Kenma had caught a lot of their errors from before, making sure that he followed the frosting ingredients exactly. Like hell he was going to fail again.

Luckily, the cakes didn’t stick to the pan, so they quickly leveled and frosted them. Kuroo wrote in frosting “we did it!” only for it to be smoothed out by Kenma. When they tasted it, they were surprised. It was actually good.

On the counter, covered in flour, Kenma’s phone started buzzing. He grabbed it, wiping it off with his shirt.

_ Keiji: You’ll never believe the email I just got. _

_ Tooru: What is it?? _

_ Keiji: We’re being offered a record deal. I have a meeting with the head of the studio next week to discuss things. _

_ Kenma: No way. _

_ Keiji: Yes, way. We could be producing music soon! _

“What’s up?” Kuroo startled him, standing right behind him all of a sudden.

“Tooru, Keiji, and I got offered a record deal.” It sounded crazy.

“What?”

“Yeah, Kuro, we have a record deal!” Kenma jumped up to hug Kuroo, catching him slightly off guard.

“You have a record deal, oh my god.” He spun Kenma around, laughing with the boy.

When he let the boy down, he was looking straight up at him. Suddenly, he was being pulled down into a kiss. He froze, not reacting to the kiss. Kenma pulled away quickly, muttering a sorry and running out of the door.

////


	4. Ain't It Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Befriending Bokuto Koutarou was a questionable choice.

Befriending Bokuto Koutarou was… an interesting choice. He was everything Akaashi wasn’t, confident, loud, energetic. He always wanted to be around people, while Akaashi would much rather live in quiet. But there was something about him that made Akaashi want  _ more.  _ He didn’t know what it was, but he wanted it to stop. He couldn’t take it, he didn’t want to feel the way he did about him.

He didn’t want to accept that he was moving on, it was scary. Sure, it’d been nearly eight months since he and Toshi broke up, but he still wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready to admit that everything was over, that he didn’t owe Toshiro anything. It was just a step he didn’t want to take until he met Bokuto, and that terrified him. It wasn’t right, it couldn’t be.

////

He hated going to therapy. It wasn’t anything wrong with his therapist, he just didn’t like opening up about what happened. He didn’t like watching as his therapist wrote in his journal about all of Akaashi’s problems. It sucked, but it always helped. Today, Bokuto came up. He mentioned him without thinking much about it, which led to his therapist asking about him (how they met, how he treats Akaashi, etc.).

“Uh, we met at a gig. He’s really nice to me, y’know? It’s like I can do no wrong in his eyes. It’s weird.”

“Why is that weird, that he sees you that way?”

“I’ve just never experienced that before, I guess. He acts as though I hung the sun, the moon, and the stars. No one has ever viewed me that way, not even my own mother.” His therapist nodded.

“How do you feel about him?”

“I like him. A lot. He makes me feel safe, but then again Toshi made me feel the same way. I don’t know if I should trust him.”

“Does he remind you of Toshi?

“No…”

“Then you shouldn’t compare them. You don’t know that Bokuto would be anything like him, and from what I’ve heard, he’s not. It isn’t fair to him or you to stop a relationship in its tracks because of someone who is the opposite of him.” Akaashi stayed silent, looking down to his hands, “Listen, Akaashi, you deserve to be happy. Don’t sabotage yourself. Not everyone is like Toshiro.

“I know… I know. I just am worried that maybe I don’t actually deserve anything…”

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Akaashi.”

“I know, Konoha.”

“Our time is up, but Akaashi, I want you to let yourself be close to him. I know you’re scared, but it’s okay to let people in. I think he could be something great for you.” Akaashi smiled at him before being led out of the room.

He made his way home, debating whether or not he should call Bokuto. He  _ wanted  _ to, but at the same time, he felt like an annoyance.

////

That night, he and Kenma were sitting in the living room, eating the ramen Oikawa made them before rushing out of the door. Kenma was playing on his psp, not paying attention to the movie they had put on.

“You okay?” Kenma jumped in his spot.

“Akaashi, I messed up.”

“What do you mean?” He looked over to him, switching off his PSP.

“I kissed Kuroo. It was right after you texted us about the record deal, I was so excited and I just… couldn’t stop myself. He didn’t even kiss back, Keiji. So I ran, we haven't spoken in days.”

“Oh my god…”

“I don’t know what to do, Keiji. He probably hates me.”

“Why on earth would he hate you?” Akaashi moved closer to Kenma, pulling him into a hug.

“Why wouldn’t he? Everything was going so well and then I destroyed it. I messed up.”

“Have you ever asked how he feels? You don’t know that he didn’t want to kiss you back, you probably caught him off guard.”

“There’s no way he did.”

“You don’t know that, though. Why don’t you just talk to him?”

“I can’t.” Akaashi sighed.

“Don’t sabotage yourself, Kenma. You never know what could happen, even if it goes wrong it will be okay.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

“Then I’m wrong and I’ll have to console you, but I have a feeling that I’m not.”

“Thanks, Keiji.”

“Anytime, also we have a gig tomorrow. Maybe Kuroo will be there.”

////

Oikawa woke up in someone’s arms. No, not someone, but Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi’s arm was over his chest, pulling him in. His face was pressed into Oikawa’s hair (which was an absolute mess), breathing in deeply. The peace of the morning was interrupted when his phone began to ring. He picked it up to answer, hearing Iwaizumi groan behind him.

“Hey.”

“Hi, I hope I didn’t wake you up, I wasn’t really thinking about that. But I just wanted to remind you of the gig tonight.” Akaashi sounded just as tired as he did, but knowing him, it was probably because he didn’t sleep at all.

“Ok. Can I go back to sleep now?”

“Yeah, sorry. Bye, Tooru.”

“Bye, Keiji.”

He laid his phone on the bed before turning around to face Iwaizumi. He was still sound asleep, breathing evenly.  _ God,  _ he was so lucky to be back here. He leaned up to kiss all over his face, causing Iwa to push him away.

“Wake up, you loser.”

“Leave me alone, idiotkawa.”

“I’ve heard better.” Iwa kicked him, making him yelp.

“Shut up, loserkawa.”

“Wake. Up.”

“No.” Oikawa glared at him, moving to get out of the bed, “Where are you going?”

“To eat breakfast all alone, because poor, poor Iwa-chan can’t get out of bed.” Oikawa shrieked as Iwa pulled him back into the bed. “Hey!”

“Don’t leave, I’m cold.”

“I’m not your personal heater.”

“You had me fooled. Lay down.”

“No, I want to eat.”

“Cuddle me.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No. Let me go.”

“You can’t make me.”

“I need to get home so that I can practice for the gig.”

“You can practice here.” Oikawa groaned, laying his head back on the bed, attempting to wiggle his way out of Iwa’s arms. “No, don’t leave me.”

“I can’t practice like this, Iwa.”

“Yeah, you can.”

Oikawa pushed himself out of Iwaizumi’s hold, much to the other’s protests. He went to the corner, grabbing Iwaizumi’s guitar from its stand. He sat back down on the bed, adjusting the guitar to be easier to play. Iwa moved to lay on his back, staring up at Oikawa.

“Are you going to serenade me?”

“Nah, I’m just playing with your guitar.”

“You’re so stupid, Oikawa.”

“I lost all my brain cells from being around you.” Iwa hit him with his pillow, causing him to laugh.

“You gonna play or not?” Oikawa smiled before placing his fingers on the bridge, strumming a few times before finding the correct rhythm. Iwa didn’t recognize the song he was playing. 

“Original?” Oikawa nodded, beginning to sing the lyrics, which told an eerily familiar story.

The music he played was somber, the lyrics matching well with it. Everything about it was familiar and every note pulled Iwaizumi in just a little more. Oikawa held eye contact with Iwaizumi the whole time, it felt almost like an apology. Once the song was over, they sat in silence, neither knowing what to say.

“So… Did you like it?’

“Of course, I did.” Oikawa smiled at him before handing him the guitar.

“Play for me.”

////

Akaashi’s phone had been going off repeatedly for the past five minutes, pulling his attention from his project. He sighed, fighting the urge to throw his phone at a wall. He tried to ignore it, continuing on his essay, but eventually, it was too much. When he picked up his phone, he saw 20 missed texts from Bokuto mixed in with a couple texts from Kenma and Suga. He opened his messages with Bokuto, reading the messages he sent.

_ >> Hey!! It’s Bokuto here! Do you guys have a gig tonight? _

_ >> Kuroo and I have nothing to do tonight _

_ >> We wanted to know if we were able to see our favorite band perform :D _

_ >> Akaashi? _

_ >> Oh, God, did I get the wrong number? _

_ >> If this isn’t Akaashi, I’m sorry! _

_ >> Is this Akaashi? This is the number he gave me… _

_ >> Hello? _

He didn’t feel like reading the rest of them, seeing as they all consisted of the same thing.

_ >>> It’s me, Bokuto-san. We do have a gig tonight, same place as last time. _

_ >> Sick! What time does it start? _

_ >>> Nine, I think. _

_ >> Do you have time to hang out before? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever! _

_ >>> Sure, what would you like to do? _

_ >> Oh! There’s this place called Onigiri Miya near mine and Kuroo’s apartment, we could go there? _

_ >>> Sounds good, I’ll meet you there in 30 minutes? _

_ >> Yeah!! _

He knew he shouldn’t have said yes, it wasn’t like his essay was going to write itself. But that’s the thing about Bokuto, you can’t say no. He closed his computer, moving from his desk to his closet, opening the doors. He grabbed a plain black sweater to wear, pulling it over his head. He could feel the static messing with his hair, so he headed to his bathroom to deal with it. He maneuvered through the organized mess that was his bathroom drawer, looking for his comb, which was nowhere to be found. He checked the other drawers, still unable to find it. He sighed, moving to look for his contacts, instead, which were also nowhere to be found. _ One minor inconvenience after another, great.  _

He eventually gave up on the search for his things, opting to just steal one of Oikawa’s combs and return it after. Once he was ready, he slipped on his shoes and left. It was only after he was outside of the building that he realized he forgot his keys. He texted Kenma, who didn’t respond. Akaashi sighed before making his way to Onigiri Miya, accepting defeat. The walk only took him about 15 minutes, meaning he would be earlier than he thought. Upon entering the restaurant, he saw Bokuto sitting at one of the tables to the side of the building. He quickly joined him there, waiting for Bokuto to even realize he was there.

“Bokuto-san…” Bokuto looked up at him, immediately breaking into a big smile.

“Akaashi! You’re early.”

“As are you, how long have you been sitting here?”

“Like, 15, 20 minutes, maybe? Not too long, don’t worry.”

“Bokuto-san, that’s way too long, if I’d have been on time, that’d almost be an hour.”

“It’s fine! What do you want to get, it’s on me!”

“I’m not letting you pay for the both of us.”

“Good thing I didn’t ask, now what do you wanna get?” Akaashi smiled at him, feeling a slight blush settle on his face.

“Just order enough for the both of us.”

“On it.” Bokuto hopped up from his chair, heading towards the counter to order for them.

Akaashi folded his hands in front of him, waiting for Bokuto to come back. Soon enough, he came back with a bag of to-go boxes.

“Let’s eat at the park.” Akaashi nodded before getting up to follow Bokuto out of the store.

The two ended up sitting on a park bench next to a pond, Bokuto telling stories about his highschool volleyball team, which was, in his words, “absolutely extraordinary.” Apparently, he, Kuroo, and Daichi all played together in Tokyo before Daichi moved to Miyagi in his third year. There was also this monster duo on their team, who had an unbelievable quick attack. The whole time Bokuto talked about them, his face was lit with excitement. He seemed incredibly happy to tell Akaashi about how Daichi used to scare all of the team simply by giving them a certain look.

Bokuto’s happiness was contagious, causing Akaashi to feel lighter around him. Everything was amazing with him, until a familiar voice called out his name. Toshiro approached the two of them, causing Akaashi’s chest to tighten.

“Akaashi, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? And I don’t believe I’ve met you before.” He stuck his hand out to Bokuto, who shook it enthusiastically.

“Bokuto, don’t. Please.” He was quiet, only allowing Bokuto to hear him. The boy turned to him, a worried look on his face.

“Is something wrong?” Toshiro was still standing above them, “Akaashi, are you even going to say hi? I expected you to be kinder to me. You know, after you cost me my job.” Akaashi’s heart felt like it was beating out of his chest, he couldn’t breathe. “Hello? Am I just not here?”

“Please go away, Toshiro.”

“Why? I just want to hang out with you.”

“I think you should go, I mean he asked nicely.” Bokuto interjected, grabbing Akaashi’s hand.

“Oh, I see. It’s a date. Whatever, I’ll see you sometime soon, Akaashi.” Toshiro walked away, whistling the tune of his and Akaashi’s “song”.

Akaashi couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t supposed to see him, he was supposed to be out of his life. He could feel Bokuto squeezing his hand, hearing him attempt to get his attention. He was trying to stop himself from crying, not wanting to worry Bokuto anymore than he already did.

“Akaashi, can you hear me? Hey, you’re alright. You’re okay.” Bokuto pulled Akaashi into his arms, letting him cry into his shoulder. “You’re okay, I’ve got you.”

They sat like this until Akaashi was finally able to calm himself down, although they didn’t pull away immediately. His face was buried into Bokuto’s shoulder, who was rubbing his back and whispering reassuring words.

“Who was he?”

“Uh, he’s my ex. Toshiro.”

“Did he say something wrong? Is that why you started crying?”

“No, no that’s not it. He, uh, he used to… hit me. Everytime we fought, which was often, because he hated everything I did.” Akaashi pushed himself to sit back, avoiding Bokuto’s gaze. “A few months ago, when Iwaizumi moved to Tokyo, Toshiro hit me into the fridge and I blacked out. I can’t remember if it was Suga or Kenma who called the cops, but I ended up in the hospital with a concussion.

“The doctor who helped me, Dr Shirabu, is the same guy who diagnosed me with an eating disorder. He hated Toshiro, I could tell, but he was professional nonetheless. Toshiro controlled my life. He made me think that nothing was wrong, that everything he did to me was what I deserved. He drove a wedge between me and Oikawa once, Tooru was honestly just concerned for my safety and I yelled at him. I told him to stay out of it cause it wasn’t his business. We didn’t talk about it after.”

“Oh my god…”

“When Tooru, Koushi, and Kenma were trying to get me to leave him it just made me feel weak. And angry. I wanted them to stop because they didn’t know Toshi the way I did. Toshiro ruined me, almost ruined my best and closest relationships.” Akaashi sat silently for a moment, before speaking again, “I’m sorry for dumping this all on you.”

“Don’t be. I’m sorry all of that happened to you. You of all people don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

“It’s okay. I’m working to get better, although I didn’t exactly expect to see him today.”

“Have you considered getting a restraining order?”

“I was going to, but I just assumed he was going to be out my life after he was held in custody for so long.”

“I think it’d be a good idea. Or you could just be with me all the time, I’ll protect you.” Akaashi smiled. “I’d be a great bodyguard!”

“I’m sure you would be.” Bokuto was staring at him, smiling sweetly. “What are you staring at?”

“You’re really pretty, Akaashi.”

“Oh, hush. I’m not.”

“You are! You totally are! You’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen.” Akaashi blushed, hiding his face behind his hands. Bokuto grabbed his wrists, attempting to pull his hands away. “No, let me see your pretty face!” The two were both laughing, Bokuto eventually being able to move Akaashi’s hands. Bokuto didn’t let go of his wrists before pulling him into a kiss. Bokuto was gentle, holding his wrists lightly enough for Akaashi to be able to pull away if he wanted to. Not that he would, though. 

When Bokuto pulled away, Akaashi’s eyes were closed, a smile on his face. “Was that okay, ‘Kaashi?”

“It was perfect, Bokuto.”

////

Bokuto walked home with Akaashi so that he could get a few things before the gig tonight. They were forced to stand outside of the apartment until Kenma jumped out of the shower to unlock the door. The inside was extremely clean, probably a result of the three organized people living there. Bokuto walked around the living room, seeing notes that the three roommates had left for each other to find. Some were a little mean, one was a reminder for Oikawa to pay Akaashi back. The whole place felt welcoming, you could feel the love the second you walk through the door.

Akaashi came out of his room after a few minutes passed, setting things down on the couch and moving to grab the guitar case in the corner of the room.

“Do you mind carrying this? It’s Oikawa’s, but he had to run to work and he’s going to be coming to the gig straight from work.”

“Yeah, sure.” Bokuto grabbed the guitar from him, leaning it up against the couch next to where all of Akaashi’s things were sat.

Akaashi walked up to Kenma’s door, knocking. “Hey, we’ve got like 30 minutes to set up time. DO you want us to wait or not?”

“Go ahead and go, I’ll be there soon.”

Akaashi walked back over to Bokuto, grabbing his things from the couch.

“Okay, ready?”

“Yeah.”

////

Oikawa and Iwaizumi were already at the bar when Akaashi and Bokuto arrived. They had ordered some food for the group, bantering how they usually did. Kuroo showed up right around the time Kenma did, although the smaller boy completely avoided him. Instead, he moved to help Akaashi and Oikawa finish setting up. The three of them had set up quickly, jumping straight into their performance.

“Hey, everyone. We’re Coastal Drive, we hope you enjoy.” Kenma moved back to the drum set, allowing Oikawa to head to the front.

“Today, we have a special gift for you all, we’ll be doing some originals.” Akaashi began to play, leading into the song Oikawa had written for him and Iwaizumi.

////

Their set was amazing as always, leaving Kenma with a confident feeling. When they exited the stage, a blond haired man came up to them.

“Hey, Akaashi. I’m guessing you guys are Oikawa and Kenma?” The two nodded, confused. “Sweet, in case Akaashi didn’t tell you, I’m the guy who wants to bring you on. Especially after tonight. If you three are okay with it, I can get the paperwork ready for you by tomorrow.”

“Oh my god.”

“We’re okay with it, of course we are. We’ll see you tomorrow…?”

“Oh! Ukai Keishin! Sorry about that, it’s usually my partner that handles these things.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for this opportunity, Ukai.” Oikawa shook Ukai’s hand, before the blond walked away. Once he was out of sight, Oikawa spun around and hugged Kenma and Akaashi. “We did it! We’re gonna be so famous.”

“You’re mighty confident, Tooru.”

“Because I’m right! We did it!” Akaashi smiled as Oikawa released them. “Oh! We have to tell the guys, come on!” Oikawa and Akaashi made their way to the table, unaware of the fact Kenma turned the other way, heading out the front door.

The air was cool around him as he sat down against the bar wall, pulling out his phone. He heard people coming in and out of the bar, silently praying Kuroo wouldn’t be one of those people. 

Although, because the world was against him, Kuroo did join him outside. He didn’t say anything when he sat next to Kenma, opting to play with his hands instead. The silence between them was almost suffocating, Kenma hated it, cursing himself for making it this way.

“Kenma?” Kuroo sounded tired, he clearly wasn’t himself today.

“Hi.”

“Hi. I missed you, you did great up there.”

“Thanks.”

“Yeah. Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you run away? Did I do something wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong, Kuro. It was my doing, so don’t even worry about it.”   
  


“Was it because of the kiss? I’m not mad at you, Kenma. I was just shocked.” He could tell that he was telling the truth. “I swear. I like you, Kenma. I really do. I don’t want you to be scared or run away again.”

“I like you too, Kuro. I’m sorry for running away. I was so scared of being rejected that I didn’t even give you a chance.”

“I would never reject you, Kenma.”

“That’s pretty nice to know. Kuro…”

“Yeah?”

“Can I kiss you again?” Kuroo nodded, moving to pull Kenma in. When pulling away, Kuroo placed a small kiss on Kenma’s nose, making him blush.

////


End file.
